Obituary of Colonel Elijah Gates

St. Joseph Gazette, March 5, 1915

Following a long illness, Col. Elijah Gates, St. Joseph's "grand old
man," and a Confederate hero of the Civil War, died at 1:55 o'clock yesterday
afternoon at the family home, 701 south Ninth street. Col. Gates was 88 years
old. For several years Col. Gates left his home seldom, but many of his friends
visited him there, and the friendships which he had fostered during his long life were
kept to the last. His mental faculties were unimpaired, and his frequent visitors
were always enriched as a result of their meetings with the old warrior. Few men had
a more interesting history than Col. Gates. He was said, by Gen. Sterling Prices to
be the bravest man he knew, and he was in the thick of numerous battles. He was
wounded on several occasions, was captured and escaped again, more than once, and in the
battle of Franklin, one of the hottest of the smaller battles of the civil war, he was so
badly wounded that amputation of his left arm was necessary.

Col. Gates served the public in many capacities. He was state treasurer,
held other state offices, and was sheriff of Buchanan county. About seven years ago
Col. Gates became a member of the First Christian Church and for a few years he was an
elder of the church. Col. Elijah Gates was one of the foremost citizens of northwest
Missouri. He had lived in St. Joseph and Buchanan counties many years, and was
prominent not only in local affairs, but in the state in the days following the Civil war.
He was one of the leaders of the Confederacy during the war. Col. Gates was a
native of Kentucky, having been born in Gerrard county in 1827. He was the son of
John Gates, owner of a large plantations in Kentucky. At the time of his father's
death he was a year and a half old. The colonel received his education in common
schools of his native county. He moved to Missouri when 20 years old and engaged in
farming. Ten years later, in 1857, he came to Buchanan county, and lived as a farmer
until the outbreak of the war. Gates enlisted in St. Joseph in 1861, and was soon
elected captain of Company A of the Missouri State Guard, Morgan's Division. Three
months later he was made a lieutenant colonel, and three months afterward was promoted to
the rank of colonel. A regiment was formed in Springfield, Mo., by Col. Gates and he
served under Gen. Sterling Price until the fall of 1861. In the spring of 1862, he
crossed the Mississippi river and joined the army under Beauregard at Corinth, and
continued in service east of the Mississippi throughout the war. Three times Col.
Gates was taken a prisoner. Following the battle of Franklin, where he lost his arm,
he was captured, but made his escape to Mobile, where he took command of a brigade and
took part in the battle of Mobile.

He was again captured at Big Black, Miss., but escaped a few days later, and he
was captured at Blakeley, opposite Mobile, during the last battle of the war, was
incarcerated at Ship Island three weeks, and then sent to Jackson, just as Gen. Taylor
surrendered. He was in practically all of the engagements of the Missouri troops,
and about half the time was in command of his brigade. He returned July 5, 1865,
after four years of hard service.

Col. Gates resumed farming when he returned to Buchanan county, and continued
in that line until 1874. He was elected sheriff then on the Democratic ticket, and
served four years. Col. Gates was then elected treasurer of the state of Missouri,
and served four years, residing in Jefferson City for a period of six years, during one
year of which he was interested in the commission business in St. Louis. From 1884
to 1886 he was coal oil inspector. For a number of years he was in the transfer and
bus business as a member of the firm of Piner & Gates of St. Joseph, but of late years
had lived in retirement. A close friendship existed between Col. Gates and former
United States Senator Francis M. Cockrell of Missouri. The senator paid a visit to
St. Joseph about three years ago for the express purpose of seeing his old friend, with
whom he had been associated during the war. Col. Gates had many staunch friends
throughout this part of the state. Col. Gates was married in Livingston county in
1852 to Maria Stamper, a native of Monroe county, who died on Dec. 24, 1898. The
surviving children are: Mrs. Elmina Lyon of Kansas City; John L. Gates of Kansas
City; Joel E. Gates, city clerk of St. Joseph; Mrs. Luella McCarty of St. Joseph; Elijah
Gates of Kansas City; Charles G. Gates of St. Joseph, superintendent of the street repair
department; Benjamin D. Gates of Chicago; Mrs. Maggie C. Richmond of Kansas City; and Mrs.
Wood of St. Joseph.